A relationship governed by rules - All The Word for Today Daily Devotionals for 2026

The Word for Today - Monday, November 24, 2025
by Bob and Debby Gass

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A relationship governed by rules

‘If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says…God will bless you for doing it.’ James 1:25 NLT

Going to heaven is based solely upon having a relationship with Christ—one in which you place your total trust in Him. This relationship also involves rules you live by and guidelines that make you more godly.

A tennis player isn’t free to play tennis if there is no baseline to let them know whether the ball is ‘in or out.’ A baseball player isn’t free to play without a foul line. A football player isn’t free to play without sidelines. You cannot be truly free without restraints. For example, a fish is not free to wander through the jungle, and a lion is not free to dwell in the ocean. Neither was made for that. Freedom is having the benefits accumulate to you that you were created to receive. Freedom doesn’t mean no boundaries. Freedom in Christ means that within the right boundaries, you get to experience ‘life more abundant’ (See John 10:10). James writes, ‘If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says…God will bless you for doing it.’ On top of the Statue of Liberty is a crown with seven spikes depicting the seven seas and seven continents—meaning wherever you are, you can come to America. At the bottom of the statue is a broken chain, meaning you can come and find freedom. But when you come, you must agree to honour the rules that govern the relationship.

Soulfood: 3 John Jude John 13:31-38 Ps 118:1-9

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